The Inland Northwest Region was originally charted as the Can-Am Region in April of 1972. The Can-Am Region was the successor to an informal Club of about 15 active members who began meeting at the local dealership from about 1962 through 1965. They were reportedly enthusiastic racers and they owned 3 Spyders and one Speedster. Their activities ranged from racing to group drives and picnics. Eventually as members moved to other areas or went into racing of different types, the Club as it had existed for the past 3 years was gone forever.

Fast forward 5 years to late 1971 when a meeting of Porsche enthusiasts is held at Valley Porsche/Audi, at that time the local dealer in Spokane. From that meeting the membership began to grow and in April of 1972 the Can-Am Region was charted.

The initial years of the Can-Am Region were like some early cars, fun when everything worked right, but prone to breaking down more than occasionally. The Club had run a few successful multi-event weekends, and in 1974 decided to host a multi Region event in conjunction with the Worlds Fair, Expo 74. The event was well attended by members of the Pacific Northwest Region as well as the Silver Sage Region.

During 1975 members in the Walla Walla and Tri-Cities area of Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland filled up the tank of the Can-Am Region with enthusiasm and organization and kept it tuned up and running well for the next 20 years. In July of 1984 the name of the Can-Am Region appears in Porsche Panorama for the last time. In August of 1984 the Inland Northwest Region appears and continues to this day.

In the early 1990’s the Club leadership began to make contacts with Porsche owners in the Spokane/Coeur d’Alene area since the number of Club members in that area had been increasing steadily. Friendships were made and grown, and in 1995 the board leadership included a member from the Spokane/Coeur d’Alene area. In the years that have followed the Region has broadened its active membership from throughout the Region and board leadership is likewise from throughout the Region.

The Inland Northwest Region still has many similarities to that group of 15 members who began meeting in 1962. Although we don’t have any Spyder owners in the Club, the Club still enjoys many of the same activities as that founding group. In 2006 the Region will again have a host Porsche dealership after many years without one within the Region. We look forward to seeing new cars, and meeting new members, that Porsche of Spokane will bring to our Region as we write new chapters in the history of the Inland Northwest Region.

The source of much of the early history of the founding of the Can-Am Region is from a special section of the January 1974 issue of Porsche Panorama with the sub title of “On Building a Region… (or how to keep it alive when everyone thinks it’s dead)” by Alice Walters who was the Secretary of the Can-Am Region in 1974. We should properly credit her in this article.

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